BCTF President Jim Iker is upping the stakes as the BC Teachers’ Federation tries to get the government to agree to binding arbitration.
Iker says he’ll go to the union membership on Wednesday asking for a vote on lifting the strike if, and when, arbitration begins.
Iker also says the BCTF is still insisting the government drop the E-80 clause dealing with issues of class size and composition being argued in court before going to arbitration.
On the weekend government lead negotiator Peter Cameron rejected the idea, saying it wasn’t a serious proposal by the union.
Parents and students aren’t the only ones hoping for a breakthrough soon.
Around 414 support workers in the Cowichan District, and 850 of their colleagues in Nanaimo Ladysmith are not going into work as long as picket lines are up.
They belong to CUPE, which says it will respect the BCTF pickets as long as the dispute goes on
Mark Hancock is the president of CUPE.
Hancock says CUPE members don’t get paid if they don’t cross picket lines, but they are getting strike pay and will get back pay after the teachers return to work.
